Warner Bros is positioning this Ben Affleck's latest directorial effort for some major Oscar exposure!

From deadline.com:

The Ben Affleck-directed and -starring Argo is due out October 12, 2012 from Warner Bros. The period drama sheds light on the real-life covert operation to rescue a group of Americans during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis, when six of the 52 U.S. citizens taken during the revolution managed to flee and find refuge at the home of the Canadian ambassador. The mission to rescue them was carried out by CIA exfiltration specialist Tony Mendez (Affleck), and was not made public for decades. Chris Terrio wrote the screenplay based on a selection from Mendez’s book The Master Of Disguise.

Warner Bros is positioning this Ben Affleck's latest directorial effort for some major Oscar exposure!

From deadline.com:

The Ben Affleck-directed and -starring Argo is due out October 12, 2012 from Warner Bros. The period drama sheds light on the real-life covert operation to rescue a group of Americans during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis, when six of the 52 U.S. citizens taken during the revolution managed to flee and find refuge at the home of the Canadian ambassador. The mission to rescue them was carried out by CIA exfiltration specialist Tony Mendez (Affleck), and was not made public for decades. Chris Terrio wrote the screenplay based on a selection from Mendez’s book The Master Of Disguise.

Im a sucker for CIA-related thrillers. And Ben Affleck's directing is quite ok.

Looks like Ben Affleck's latest directorial and acting effort could be a major Oscar contender.

From deadline.com:

The 39th Annual Telluride Film Festival officially gets underway tonight but the fest provided a “sneak preview” of its highest profile movie, Director/star Ben Affleck’s pulse-pounding true life thriller, Argo which made its world debut this afternoon in a special preview for patron and sponsor passholders and selected press. Judging from the reaction during the end credits as well as talk on the streets afterward Warner Bros not only has a hit on their hands but a slam-dunk major Oscar contender in several categories.

Jumpstarting the long six-month awards season which officially begins with the Venice/Telluride/Toronto Film Festivals, this is the kind of supremely well-crafted studio film that Academy members (and there were several on hand for this screening) will eat up . “It’s got my vote as one of the ten”, an acad voter told me afterwards. It also shows the movie industry off in a strong light which should further impress Oscar voters. Unless I am crazy expect nominations for Picture (producers are Affleck, George Clooney and Grant Heslov), Director for Affleck, Chris Terrio’s screenplay , and supporting actor for Alan Arkin, possibly even Bryan Cranston. Affleck also could figure in the over-crowded Best Actor contest and editing, score (Alexandre Desplat) and Rodrigo Prietro’s stirring cinematography are other possibilities. At last February’s Oscars Governors Ball, a top Warners exec predicted this film, still in post then, could be the studio’s best shot at top Oscar attention in 2012. Looks like they could be right.

Telluride has a recent tradition of debuting at least one solid Best Picture contender (recent Best Pic winners Slumdog Millionaire, King’s Speech and The Artist all got the awards season rolling in earnest right here in the Rocky Mountains) and Argo has already laid claim to one of those spots if reaction holds. Next stop is Toronto a week from today where it should also be huge considering it has a strong Canadian connection in this story of the rescue attempt of six Americans who managed to escape and find refuge in the home of the Canadian ambassador after 52 of their colleagues were taken hostage by Iranian militants who took over the U.S. embassy in Tehran in 1979. It was a crisis that lasted 444 days until all were released on Jan 21, 1981. But the incredible real story of these prevoiusly unknown six was classified and not detailed until President Clinton declassified it in 1997. The tale of how a CIA exfiltration specialist named Tony Mendez (played by Affleck) tried to get them out under the ruse of making a fake Hollywood science fiction film called Argo would be impossible to believe if it weren’t true, and although filmmakers have taken some dramatic liberties to tell it, it is powerful stuff. Former President Jimmy Carter who endured the hostage crisis for the last year and a half of his Presidency even has a part as a new audio interview the film’s producers taped with him is included over the end credits giving the movie extra credibility. After the screening Executive Producer Chay Carter (no relation) told me they were only given a half hour to get it done and it certainly was worth it. I am also told Mendez will be attending the Toronto premiere.

The film not only works as a suspense thriller, it also has strong comedic elements thanks to the Hollywood angle, especially with the jaded producer played by Arkin (“If I am going to make a fake movie, it better be a fake hit!”) and John Goodman who plays Oscar winning make up artist John Chambers who played a key role in setting up the ruse for Mendez.

Although not announced yesterday as an official part of the Telluride lineup it was strongly tipped to come here and Affleck introduced today’s screening. “You are the first paying people to see the film. I know you didn’t literally pay, but in my heart you did. This is actually one of the few film festivals that really is about seeing movies instead of just walking around and talking about them, ” Affleck said in tipping his hat to the fest which is showing a wide range of films (but his is the only new one directly made for a major studio).

It’s a wise move for Warners to hit the fest trail with this which can only build anticipation for the October 12th wide release and help give cred to the subsequent awards campaign. I am told the studio , knowing it has a long road to go and lots of competition (even from themselves) , is going to take it slow and easy in crafting a campaign for the long haul.

After strong critical and public reaction to his first two directorial efforts , Gone Baby Gone and The Town, the star and Oscar winning screenwriter (Good Will Hunting) has emerged as a major directing talent and seems to be fashioning a career in the tradition of a Clint Eastwood. Both his previous films were shot in his hometown of Boston so Argo reps a definite leap out of his backyard. The first Telluride audience was clearly impressed.

Will Argo's strong reception at the Telluride and Toronto Film Festival pave its way to Oscar glory?

From hollywoodreporter.com:

Each of the past five best picture Oscar winners played the Toronto International Film Festival, which begs the question: Is the next best picture Oscar winner playing here right now?

Based on the enthusiastic reception that Argo is receiving from both audiences and critics, the Ben Affleck-directed drama has as good a shot as any of going the distance. Why? In addition to being a well-made film, the Warner Bros' release has several advantages heading into awards season. Here are five:

1. The film was directed by and stars someone who has experienced the highest of highs (he and his buddy Matt Damon won an Oscar for their first screenplay, Good Will Hunting) and lowest of lows in the business (he starred in the critically-lambasted Gigli), and for whom a victory would be a truly feel-good story. The Academy, whose largest contingent is actors, often rewards thesps who become filmmakers—see best picture winners Unforgiven (Clint Eastwood), Braveheart (Mel Gibson) and Dances With Wolves (Kevin Costner).

2. It chronicles real events of historical importance. Argo tells the story of Hollywood’s role in the 1979-1981 Iranian hostage crisis, when the CIA concocted a scheme to use the cover of a fake movie to extract Americans who had escaped from the American embassy and were hiding in the Canadian embassy. From 2001's A Beautiful Mind to 2011's The King’s Speech, fact-based dramas tend to score with voters.

3. Hollywood plays a heroic role in the film. One thing that The Artist's best picture win last year reminded us is that the industry loves to see itself reflected positively in films. (This factor also helped Hugo, an homage to the silent era and call for movie preservation). Hollywood, which often is stereotyped as being anti-military, comes across as the exact opposite in Argo, and that message might be pleasing to voters.

4. It features an ensemble cast of first-rate veterans. In addition to Affleck, Oscar winner Alan Arkin, Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston, John Goodman, and Kyle Chandler are just a few of the well-respected veterans who appear in the film. Academy voters often reward longevity, as well as films that tickle a wide variety of emotions, which the performances in this film -- which is, at one time or another, an edge-of-your seat thriller, a tearjerker, and a laugh-out-loud comedy -- certainly do.

5. It’s tailor-made for the fall festival circuit. At Telluride, Argo was the fest's one and only notable world premiere (Hyde Park on Hudson disappointed and the rest of the major films were all Cannes carryovers or docs). And at Toronto, its Telluride momentum and Canada-connection (the Canadians play a heroic role in the film) will only spur it to play stronger here -- indeed, I think it stands a strong shot of taking home the fest's Audience Award, which has predicted a best picture Oscar win on four occasions over the 34 years in which it has been presented. Moreover, it opens a week after the first presidential debate and a day after the only vice presidential debate, at which the current relationship between the US and Iran -- which is more strained than it has been at any time since the era chronicled in the film -- will surely be discussed.

Of course, there are still obstacles. A considerable number of contenders have yet to screen anywhere -- Life of Pi and Flight will play at the New York Film Festival later this month, and Lincoln, Zero Dark Thirty, Les Miserables and Django Unchained are still to come after them. So, to a large extent, this is all premature. But, that being said, it may be fun to look back at this six months from now, at the end of the awards season, and realize that the signs of an Argo win were right in front of our eyes from the start.

This sure-fire Oscar contender opens in the US this weekend with a very enthusiastic 94% fresh rating at rottentomatoes.com. Reviews are saying that it is a riveting, exciting and at times humourous suspense thriller from start to finish. Can't wait for this!

Critics' Consensus:
As a director, Ben Affleck is on a roll. With two Certified Fresh films (Gone Baby Gone and The Town) under his belt, critics say Affleck scores again with Argo, a tense, darkly comic thriller with terrific characters and an eye for period detail. In the midst of the Iranian Revolution of 1979, a group of militants take hostages at the U.S. embassy in Tehran. When six Americans escape and hole up elsewhere, CIA agent Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) comes up with a scheme to rescue them: pretend they're filmmakers working on an epic sci-fi movie. The pundits say the Certified Fresh Argo is a terrific entertainment -- it's suspenseful, deftly scripted, sharply acted, and politically reflective.

Gone Baby Gone, The Town, and now, Argo. Ben Affleck scores a hattrick with three acclaimed films that shows off his directing chops, and you'll probably find it tough to find anyone not convinced he makes a better director than in front of the camera as an actor. Producing the film with George Clooney and Grat Heslov, who did the award winning Good Night, and Good Luck, Argo is also based on history (with its fair share of dramatic licence of course) that uniquely combined Hollywood's role during the tumultuous times of the Iran hostage crisis of the late 70s to 80s.

In the able hands of actor-director Ben Affleck, an obscure piece of history which has recently been disclassified from the CIA vaults has turned into an intense, nail-biting movie that will have you on the edge of your seat during its final act.

I smell Oscar gold for Argo which boasts an excellent ensemble cast which includes Bryan Crayston, John Goodman and Alan Arkin. The pairing of the last two veterans played off each other very well and created the most laughs for the movie. It also has an especially taut script which is every bit as relevant today as it was in the late 70s.

This real story is a further testament of the good that we can create in the midst of so much senseless violence around us. Argo not shows the triumph of the human spirit, but is itself a cinematic triumph as well.

so early say it will oscar best film ? haven even see other contenders.

the last cia related movie i watch is naomi watts and sean penn.

hope this movie is better.

I agree it is still early to predict a film's Oscar success but I just don't see any potential upsets this year. Spielberg's Lincoln is too preachy for some but it may produce some acting awards. The Silver Linings Playbook may get a screenplay award. Ang Li's Life Of Pi? I just don't think so. Hobbit may get some technical awards but not the critical ones.

Argo is not only a crowd pleaser but a critics darling as well, putting Hollywood in favourable light as it helped with the hostage rescue mission. Moreover, nothing pleases Hollywood more than to award an underdog in Ben Affleck who has made a comeback of sorts with some great directorial work in Gone Baby Gone and The Town after that fiasco involving the mega flop Gigli and his relationship with Jennifer Lopez.

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